He even threatened to kill Emily and Sarahs father and K.L. I dont think its a very common thing. David Koresh began leading the group in 1987, abandoning many of the original teachings and adopting the belief that the end of the world was near. In October 2020, a judge sentenced him to 120 years in prison. (Photo courtesy of Oxygen. He is required to register for life even though he is serving a life sentence for his crimes. pic.twitter.com/LsUYdFja74. Was he clairvoyant? Warning: Some images in this gallery are graphic in nature. By the time police tracked him down, they found Constanzo and another follower both fatally shot. On the stand, he denied having any sort of magical powers and contended the sex was always consensual. His charges included rape, aggravated criminal sodomy, sexual exploitation of a child, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and murder. Tonight on NBCsDateline NBC,Dennis Murphy looks into the case of cult leader Daniel Perez, also known as Lou Castro, who told his followers at Angels Landing that he was a 1,000-year-old angel who could see the future and heal their injuries. In Goodwyns mind with the group of homes being referred to as Angels Landing and all the cars vanity plates with the angel designation he thought he might be dealing with a cult. His current whereabouts are unknown. Five drug smugglers were arrested in connection with the murders. McGrath was about 17 at the time. It's unclear how many members the group still has. Unfortunately, the lab would be unable to get a good print off of anything the detective had collected. Before Raniere's arrest, in 2017, a New York Times expos accused NXIVM of fronting a cult called "DOS" or "The Vow." His useful 2021 return (.250-84-20-60) is still in the reasonable range of outcomes. However, on investigating the money trail, the police discovered that he himself had not signed the papers for the property or for the multitude of luxury cars that he owned. It was extremely scary, she said. Perez was found guilty in February 2015 of fraud, child exploitation, rape and first-degree murder. The Manson Family was a commune and cult created by Charles Manson in California in the 1960s. Daniel Perez, also known as Lou Castro, has been incarcerated at the Lansing County Department of Corrections since April 1, 2018. Then, she saw Perez, wet and out of breath. Manson instructed followers to kill people because he believed the murders would provoke the race war. (Photo courtesy of Oxygen. Sara told Dateline and Oxygen that Perez regularly raped her and said that she remembered asking him after years of sexual abuse if she was fixed, since that was one of his excuses for doing what he did. Hernandez might need to play every day for Boston, and Fenway Park remains a soft landing. The various group members would tell the jury about the control that Perez/Castro had over the group. After a death on the property, police found a pattern where he would take out life insurance policies on people in his circle that would later be cashed in by members. Investigators initially believed she drowned while trying to rescue her 2-year-old daughter from a swimming pool. The property is huge and situated in the 9500 block of North Oliver in a rural area of Wichita, Kansas. Hughes death was initially ruled accidental. I dont think [cults] are common, McGrath said. When he died his assets and policies were paid out to various people he had been living with at Angels Landing. Daniel U. Perez has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Patricia Hughes. There was nothing I could do, she said, of the nearly seven years of sexual abuse she suffered at Perez's hand. In total, there were six reported accidental deaths over seven years at Angels Landing. pic.twitter.com/aps7CzzYu8, Dateline NBC (@DatelineNBC) August 6, 2020. In an interview with Oxygen, Sara McGrath said her mother, a real estate agent who helped Perez find and purchase the land, was one of the first members of his new cult. He had convinced the group that he needed someone "pure" to share his bed as he was a "seer" and needed a young female virgin to take care of him or he would die. She's seen here leaving the federal court in Brooklyn, New York, after sentencing. By 1978, the population there had swelled to about 900. I didnt realize I was in a cult until I had been out for a few years.. Trish had also moved into a nearby apartment complex. After three months the small group moved back to Wichita, Kansas where they lived in some townhomes while looking for permanent housing. In Angel'sLanding, a 20-acre property located in a rural area north of Wichita, Perez convinced his communal family that he had magical powers, including the ability to see the future, The Wichita Eagle reported. Within a few months, her life had completely changed. The deadly and devastating secrets of this traveling commune will come tumbling out, Friday on #Dateline at 9/8c. Daniel Perez, also known as Lou Castro, was sentenced to life in prison for murder and the rape of children in his cult, known as the Angel's Landing commune. Emily would tell investigators about Trishs drowning and that would end up being enough to put Castro away. Soon after, the compound erupted in a massive blaze. For well over a decade, conman Daniel Perez convinced a small band of followers into thinking he was possessed by three mostly evil angels, or maybe was an angel, and that he had the keys. READ NEXT: Angels Landing Commune: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. About every two and a half years, bankaccountbalances would get low in the makeshift family, then someone would die, Goodwyn said. Here, members sing before sitting down for lunch at their Los Angeles headquarters in February 1971. Years later, details surrounding her death surfaced when one of the girls in the cult brought them to police, even though Castro had initially persuaded her to lie for him. When Brian died in a freak accident atthe autobody shop where he worked in March2006, Goodwyndove into every bit of personal and financial information he could oneveryone living atAngels Landing. Powered by. Actor Joaquin Phoenix was born into the Children of God. He was found guilty on all counts on June 19, 2019. Megan and Castro were also dating at this time and Megan moved into Castros home. MISSING IOWA TV JOURNALIST JODI HUISENTRUIT'S FAMILY STILL SEARCHING YEARS LATER, DOC REVEALS: IT'S HORRIBLE', Sara McGrath said she was too scared to come forward with her story. Sara McGrath said Daniel Perez began sexually abusing her within weeks of their arrival at the compound. Perez was charged with multiple criminal counts, including first-degree murder. Goodwyn began working with federal agents and found the identity Perez was likely about to inhabit next, in Tennessee. One such story, where the cult leader Daniel Perez aka Lou Castro repeatedly manipulated and abused his followers, has been covered in the episode called Angels and Demons. For him to have been able to do such abhorrent acts, one wonders what the tools at his disposal were. Perez, now 62, is behind. Her husband, Brian was the beneficiary with K.L. Turns out his real name is Daniel Perez, and people formerly in his cult have since told tales of rape, sexual abuse, and murder. Several former members have alleged they were sexually assaulted and beaten as children. Joseph Di Mambro's gun was found during the investigation. Kramer and Raymond were released from jail on personal recognizance bonds, with more hearings scheduled for later this month. First, there were the fancy cars most of the vehicles on the property were worth more than $40,000, according to theWichita Eagle. In fact, he would also consistently manipulate her into doing his bidding, as is evident with her involuntary participation in Patricias murder. Emily was 10-years-old at the time. There was nothing I could do, she said. The third parcel was purchased and built upon completing what looked like a compound due to the homes placements. Also on the properties were barn-like structures that housed the groups various vehicles and Castros large model airplane collection. The murder victim, Patricia Hughes, was a 26-year-old wife and mother who lived at Angels Landing. He did not appear to have any employment records, and they had no proof of his existence before he appeared in Wichita looking to purchase property. Perez also collected millions of dollars over the years from life insurance policies on his followers who had died. Emily waited 20 minutes and completed the plan. He was very charismatic and quite the talker. He and his family were among the dead. On two occasions Castro threatened all three girls at gunpoint if they didnt comply with his commands. In that time, Perez had one disciplinary violation, according to his prison record. The Associated Press contributed to this report. If it werent for them and my husband, I wouldnt have been able to do it., He was sentenced to two life sentences in prison. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. I was 10 when my childhood was over, one witness said during his sentencing hearing. In January 2002, Castro had forced Emily to have oral, vaginal, and anal sex with him. McGrath said she and her family joined the commune after Perez met her mother, Jennifer Hutson, a Wichita real estate agent who sold him a house, in 2001. Angels Landing is one of the most popular destinations in Zion National Park. The life insurance payout for Hughes death alone exceeded $1 million. The Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ was founded by Jim Jones in Indiana in 1955. The girl said in truth, she heard a splash and a scream. McGrath was in her mid-teens and her younger sister, Emily, was around 11. In Goodwyns mind, he believed that Lou Castro had influenced Jennifer to commit suicide. You can survive a traumatic event, she told Fox News. At one point, Castro would give the local police department $19,000 to go towards a new police vehicle. She told them how she was made to wait in an office nearby with her the infant daughter of the deceased. An investigation, that would end up lasting for 9 years, made the authorities suspicious since he did not have a job but was swimming in luxury items. Goodwyn said the conviction was probably the most amazing feeling in my law enforcement career.. Friday on #Dateline at 9/8c, it's the saga of a traveling family involved in most of the seven deadly sins pic.twitter.com/nZd9ctWtTO, Dateline NBC (@DatelineNBC) August 6, 2020. The man had a clandestine past and had evaded law enforcement on multiple occasions before, and it was no wonder that suspicious activity would take place in the house. However, her mother seemed to be enthralled with the self-proclaimed angel and believed he had their best interests in mind. [Perez] was now known for two things: Money no one could explain and the death of Patricia Hughes, Goodwyn told producers. He had convinced the group that he needed someone pure to share his bed as he was a seer and needed a young female virgin to take care of him or he would die. Perez is also working a job in prison, according to his prison record. The cult attracted young, elite universitystudents and graduates who believed that the apocalypse was near and that they would be the only ones to survive. 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